I used a scanner last month at a Giant in Falls Church, VA, and frankly, I was appalled.

Giant couldn’t even let its customers get used to using the thing before cashing in on its marketing potential – as you strolled the aisles, the thing would sound a loud “ka-ching!” and show you an ad.

Every 3 minutes.

As one who likes to shop for groceries at a leisurely pace, I found it unforgivably annoying.

I’ll stick to self-check stands, thank you.

There is a Stop & Shop near my house that implemented the handheld scanners several months ago but I not used them yet. They seem to be getting more popular in the store, the rack is usually always empty where they are stored.

Yeah, I’ve used the Giant ones too like Eli and the “ka-ching” noise is super annoying. It plays every five minutes or so and until you get used to it, you think your scanner is going haywire and adding to your tally while you’re not looking.

Overall it does certainly speed up checkout, but the at the cost of making you feel vaguely like an unpaid and unskilled grocery store employee as you stand in the aisles and awkwardly stuff your food into bags any which way you can.

They remodeled a Giant in Abingdon, MD and I used the handheld scanners there. I can confirm Eli’s comment that they make an obnoxious ka-ching noise every few minutes, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from using it again. I think about it the same way I do advertising in online content – it’s the price you pay for the technology.

Overall I found it very convenient. I bring my own bags and it was great to be able to bag everything as I went along and then just use the scanner to pay at a self-checkout line when I was done. As far as personal shopping information goes, I use “club cards” at grocery stores anyway so they’re already tracking what I buy.

So wait, I think I’m missing something here. How does this thing keep people from just adding stuff to their bags without paying?

Exactly!

back in the UK in 2000 the shopping chain “ASDA” started using them, and they eventually pulled the plug on them for that reason alone. Not sure if they have got them back as i emmigrated years ago.

As for keeping info on you, if you already use a shopping card of any kind, they already track everything you buy.

As for keeping info on you, if you already use a shopping card of any kind, they already track everything you buy.

“As for keeping info on you, if you already use a shopping card of any kind, they already track everything you buy.”

Which is why I know several people who trade ‘em like trading cards every time they go to the store with a friend, roommate, and the occasional stranger. Share the love ;)

I’ve never used them, I’ve never even seen them.

Secondarily, who cares if they know how much broccoli I buy or what brand of detergent? I couldn’t possibly care less.

I’ve used these at Giant as well and I love it! Yes, it makes an obnoxious sound, but it let’s my kids help while we shop, and it’s WAY better than the self-scan where the scale weighs everything and often gets it wrong. This way I can easily shop with my own bags for many items and just bag as I go – fabulous!

I am going to hell. The first thing I thought of was… how would they know you scanned everything? Two, I freaked the day I received an email from my ‘card carrying’ Safeway with ‘deals’ on items I had recently bought…

I look over my shoulder as I pay cash for alcohol and smokes… LOL!

In NC there is the Bloom grocery store (owned by foodlion) and they have scanners. I’ve had a really experience with their whole format (the layout of the store, the scanners, and checkout method). It’s very easy to shop and pay and get out in a decent time.

As for how much info the supermarkets keeps on me, it doesn’t seem any different than Harris Teeter sending me weekly emails about discounts on items I’ve purchased before. Now, if the gov. started reviewing those purchases for taxing purposes, I’d really get worried.

I have also used the scanners at Bloom. I found them to be incredibly helpful for tracking my spending while I was shopping. That is until I started griping at my boyfriend for getting things we didn’t need. “Put that back! We’re already spending $60 on this other crap! Why do we need more crap?!”

We live in England and have used the scanners at Waitrose for more than a year. AMAZING and such a time-saver. By the time you get to the checkout, all your food is packed, there’s no line, and you pay and leave. We get ‘random’ spot-checks once every few months so the incentive to scan correctly is pretty strong. I always feel weird at other supermarkets NOT scanning things before I put them in my basket. Lab rat? Me? Nah!

We live in England and have used the scanners at Waitrose for more than a year. AMAZING and such a time-saver. By the time you get to the checkout, all your food is packed, there’s no line, and you pay and leave. We get ‘random’ spot-checks once every few months so the incentive to scan correctly is pretty strong. I always feel weird at other supermarkets NOT scanning things before I put them in my basket. Lab rat? Me? Nah!

I LOVE the personal scan guns! We have them at our local Stop & Shop and I use them every time. You just pick up your gun and go about shopping and putting stuff in your bags, it’s so easy. It’s nice knowing how much you’ve spent when you’re only half way through the store. If they track what I’m purchasing, that’s fine. They can give me coupons that I’ll actually use! As for the security part, every so often they have a random check where an employee comes to your basket and checks to make sure your items match the scanner list. I know this would not work in all areas of the US but I’m glad it works where I live.

For some reason I highly doubt I will ever see them in my grocery stores in IL. Sounds like an excellent idea though. I would use it.

I recently moved to London and usually don’t bother with the scanners at Waitrose, but they DO save time if you tend to do a large shop. I mostly duck in for the odd handful of ingredients.

For the few who have commented on stores tracking your buying habits… It’s true that the government doesn’t use such data to tax you, but the amount of data amassed on seemingly-minute and unimportant details in your life can be pretty frightening when lumped together. Many political campaigns use these data to make their campaigns more closely targeted at micro-constituencies (the latte-drinking, volvo-driving democrats, for example, as opposed to the beer-drinking, ford-driving dems).

I’ve just accepted that people will know that stuff about me, though. It’s difficult to avoid.

I have been using the easyShop scanner at my local Super Stop n Shop for months now and it is great!

I like leisurely scanning and bagging as I go instead of all the stress at the checkout where the people behind you are impatiently tapping their feet either at the self-checkout lanes or even in the cashier lines. I just pay and go.

Also, I get discounts that are relevant and I think that I can only get on the scanner. I hate cutting/keeping coupons so I feel I miss out on all the deals…but now I am saving money using the scanner!

As for keeping track of what I buy: 1) Who cares? I really don’t get why people care. 2) They do it already with my loyalty card. 3) Great cuz then I don’t get blasted with coupons for cat food when I don’t have a cat.

Finally, me not scanning items in my basket is not my problem…it’s Stop n Shop’s problem. I don’t steal but the fact that others might doesn’t stop me from using this technology.

I have been using the easyShop scanner at my local Super Stop n Shop for months now and it is great!

I like leisurely scanning and bagging as I go instead of all the stress at the checkout where the people behind you are impatiently tapping their feet either at the self-checkout lanes or even in the cashier lines. I just pay and go.

Also, I get discounts that are relevant and I think that I can only get on the scanner. I hate cutting/keeping coupons so I feel I miss out on all the deals…but now I am saving money using the scanner!

As for keeping track of what I buy: 1) Who cares? I really don’t get why people care. 2) They do it already with my loyalty card. 3) Great cuz then I don’t get blasted with coupons for cat food when I don’t have a cat.

Finally, me not scanning items in my basket is not my problem…it’s Stop n Shop’s problem. I don’t steal but the fact that others might doesn’t stop me from using this technology.

I have been using the easyShop scanner at my local Super Stop n Shop for months now and it is great!

I like leisurely scanning and bagging as I go instead of all the stress at the checkout where the people behind you are impatiently tapping their feet either at the self-checkout lanes or even in the cashier lines. I just pay and go.

Also, I get discounts that are relevant and I think that I can only get on the scanner. I hate cutting/keeping coupons so I feel I miss out on all the deals…but now I am saving money using the scanner!

As for keeping track of what I buy: 1) Who cares? I really don’t get why people care. 2) They do it already with my loyalty card. 3) Great cuz then I don’t get blasted with coupons for cat food when I don’t have a cat.

Finally, me not scanning items in my basket is not my problem…it’s Stop n Shop’s problem. I don’t steal but the fact that others might doesn’t stop me from using this technology.

I have been using the easyShop scanner at my local Super Stop n Shop for months now and it is great!

I like leisurely scanning and bagging as I go instead of all the stress at the checkout where the people behind you are impatiently tapping their feet either at the self-checkout lanes or even in the cashier lines. I just pay and go.

Also, I get discounts that are relevant and I think that I can only get on the scanner. I hate cutting/keeping coupons so I feel I miss out on all the deals…but now I am saving money using the scanner!

As for keeping track of what I buy: 1) Who cares? I really don’t get why people care. 2) They do it already with my loyalty card. 3) Great cuz then I don’t get blasted with coupons for cat food when I don’t have a cat.

Finally, me not scanning items in my basket is not my problem…it’s Stop n Shop’s problem. I don’t steal but the fact that others might doesn’t stop me from using this technology.

Sorry about the multiple posts. This web site isn’t responding so I clicked Post three times. (And sorry for this post.)